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Sherlock Ohms
Latest Content
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Fuse Holder Mismatched to Fuse
Sherlock Ohms 
5/20/2013  4 comments
If the fuse and fuse holder don't match up right, hefty repair bills might follow.
The Power of Secret Energy
Sherlock Ohms 
5/14/2013  12 comments
The light amid darkness increased suspicions. A secret power source was the answer.
The Case of the Cantankerous Battery Cells
Sherlock Ohms 
5/10/2013  7 comments
At the battery factory, a number of things can go wrong, from lousy suppliers to oddball crimping.
A Perfect Storm of Device Stress
Sherlock Ohms 
5/9/2013  11 comments
The recording device failed when it heard a loud, screeching voice.
What's the Time?
Sherlock Ohms 
5/8/2013  50 comments
The radio station couldn't keep its clock synchronized. Apparently, the power company was goofing up the time.
Altered Design Hampers Transmitters
Sherlock Ohms 
5/7/2013  10 comments
The cooling system on the space transmitters ran into problems from metallic goo. Someone improvised a mess.
The Power of Human Touch
Sherlock Ohms 
5/3/2013  14 comments
When all of the testing via instruments leave a problem unsolved, it may be time to deploy human senses.
Charting the Failure History of a Bolt
Sherlock Ohms 
4/30/2013  11 comments
When a bolt fails, it might be best to look at the failure history of the bolt in its setting.
Bad Parts Plague Oscilloscope
Sherlock Ohms 
4/29/2013  27 comments
The part used to replace a bad part was also bad.
The Case of the Failed Leading Edges
Sherlock Ohms 
4/26/2013  4 comments
Be careful how materials are accepted and rejected. It may not make any sense.
What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
Sherlock Ohms 
4/22/2013  8 comments
It was OK when a radio station ran a tad above frequency limits. But when other radio operators in the area used the station's frequency as a base, things could get crazy.
Can a Robot Bend a Part?
Sherlock Ohms 
4/19/2013  14 comments
Can a robot bend parts? It depends on how dirty the die gets.
Screws Mess With Filter Design
Sherlock Ohms 
4/18/2013  3 comments
The filter had more rejection at the low end than at the high end since the equivalent capacitance coupling did not provide a transmission at high frequencies.
The Power Factor
Sherlock Ohms 
4/16/2013  8 comments
Post-lunch power surges caused a world of problems at a high-tech defense firm.
The Least-Obvious Signals Sometimes Bite You
Sherlock Ohms 
4/15/2013  4 comments
When is a digital circuit not a digital circuit? When somebody forgot that ultimately everything is an analog circuit, and things like L, R, and C combine in the most insidious ways to derail a design.
Car Radio Fires Up Check Engine Light
Sherlock Ohms 
4/12/2013  19 comments
Apparently the 2003 Saturn Vue has some interconnections between sensors that depend upon the integrity of the radio ground strap for proper operation of the engine and transmission control computers.
If It's Not the Undervoltage, It’s the Overvoltage
Sherlock Ohms 
4/3/2013  11 comments
In setting up automated test equipment, it seemed there was an undervoltage -- then it became an overvoltage problem.
Antenna Tower 4 Has No Base Current
Sherlock Ohms 
3/22/2013  19 comments
Engineering problems in the broadcast field can range from defective components, operator errors, snakes, or a combination of factors. Sometimes you need to call Sherlock in to solve the case.
Castigated Engineer Sees the Light
Sherlock Ohms 
3/14/2013  12 comments
A machine-tool builder sacrifices part quality in order to save a few bucks.
Running Robots off the Cuff
Sherlock Ohms 
2/22/2013  16 comments
When they order the wrong robot and you have to keep the line running, it's time to find a hack solution.
The Subcontractor Zapped the Network
Sherlock Ohms 
2/20/2013  24 comments
While we were off on holiday, a subcontractor completely discombobulated the electrical network.
Unusual Warp Switches Looming in Textile Factory
Sherlock Ohms 
2/1/2013  7 comments
Water-jet weaving looms were requiring a control box reboot each time a thread snapped, leading to a lot of factory downtime.
Beeping Oven Called for a Debugging
Sherlock Ohms 
1/31/2013  39 comments
Removing the front panel of the control unit from a beeping oven taught this owner what debugging was really about.
Strap Grounds Field Failures
Sherlock Ohms 
1/23/2013  14 comments
When a customer changed the design on one of his products, another part of the design failed. It was time to call Sherlock.
Computer Shuts Down Unless You're Wearing Leather
Sherlock Ohms 
1/16/2013  14 comments
Synthetic-soled shoes and a pair of nylons prevented computers in a San Diego hospital from functioning properly.
Billboard Causes Computer Crash
Sherlock Ohms 
1/7/2013  24 comments
A brightly lit billboard was causing one company's computers to crash earlier each night. Sherlock is on the case.
Brake Lights Were on the Blink
Sherlock Ohms 
1/4/2013  24 comments
An unsuspecting driver was startled by another driver's horn, after the brake lights on his vehicle did not illuminate before he turned. A $20 switch solved the problem.
Mystery Signals Show Up in Neurological Amplifiers
Sherlock Ohms 
12/11/2012  34 comments
The strange, sporadic noise problem was coming from somewhere -- maybe from a submarine detector?
The Mystery of the Water Hammering
Sherlock Ohms 
12/6/2012  11 comments
The water hammering came and went for ages until Sherlock Ohms was sitting in the right place at the right time.
Smoking Trailer Brakes Cause Alarm
Sherlock Ohms 
11/29/2012  48 comments
When all four brakes on the boat trailer started smoking, it was time to examine the braking system.
Strange Case of the High VSWRs
Sherlock Ohms 
11/26/2012  11 comments
The amplifiers failed tests time after time. Maybe it's not the amplifiers' problem.
Lightning Knocks Out Aircraft's Compass
Sherlock Ohms 
11/20/2012  27 comments
When lightning hit the Boeing jet, the instruments went haywire.
The Ghost Image Messed With the Display
Sherlock Ohms 
11/6/2012  15 comments
There was a ghost image on the display, but nothing was wrong with the connection. So what was the problem?
The Dodge Truck Was a Magnetized Mess
Sherlock Ohms 
11/1/2012  23 comments
This Sherlock Ohms nearly had to dismantle the car in order to find a magnetic snafu.
I Fixed My Broken Corvette for $0.00
Sherlock Ohms 
10/26/2012  25 comments
Rather than running up a huge repair bill, one savvy car owner found a Corvette forum and fixed the car himself.
Glue & Sealant Gunk Up the Line
Sherlock Ohms 
10/24/2012  24 comments
The hot glue was a problem on the line, then came the goof-up with the sealant.
A Part Failure, Not a Design Flaw
Sherlock Ohms 
10/22/2012  6 comments
On the surface, it looked as if the scope failed due to a design flaw. Actually, it was a part failure.
These Fuses Melt in Water
Sherlock Ohms 
10/15/2012  32 comments
The new building came with a slew of electrical problems -- blown fuses and faulty phone lines.
Noise Messed With the Automation System
Sherlock Ohms 
10/11/2012  5 comments
It was difficult to find the problem on the conveyor line until the noise was replicated.
The Car Was Puffed Up on Hot Air
Sherlock Ohms 
10/8/2012  15 comments
The air bag suspension kept the Lincoln Town Car riding high -- too high.
Skepticism Prevented a Nasty Crash
Sherlock Ohms 
10/3/2012  24 comments
It took a lot of second guessing to find an aircraft flaw that would have caused a crash.
Squeezing Cost While Raising Quality
Sherlock Ohms 
9/27/2012  11 comments
How do you reduce the cost of a part from $25 to $1? Easy, you raise the quality.
Super Mistake Caused Super Voltage
Sherlock Ohms 
9/25/2012  21 comments
How could an aircraft system with no more than 15V cause burn marks in strange places? Is it misuse or a big mistake?
There's a Mystery Glitch in the Pipe Organ
Sherlock Ohms 
9/24/2012  15 comments
Fixing the electronics in a pipe organ from 600 miles away can be a challenge.
'Move the Picker, Move the Tote'
Sherlock Ohms 
9/18/2012  22 comments
The trick to speeding up the number of totes on the line was programming the movement of picking the totes.
The Shortcut That Shorted Out
Sherlock Ohms 
8/30/2012  5 comments
Sometimes the effort to be efficient can lead to problems that keep repeating themselves.
Case of the Data-Corrupting Pocket
Sherlock Ohms 
8/28/2012  34 comments
When transferring data from the control computer to the maintenance computer, you have to be careful how you carry the disk.
Botched Construction Job Leads to Finger Pointing
Sherlock Ohms 
8/21/2012  14 comments
An engineer is accused of poor workmanship after a fire protection system he designed malfunctioned.
The Satellite Station Motors Were Burning Up
Sherlock Ohms 
8/20/2012  7 comments
Out in the desert, the satellite station motors were burning up. It was time to check out the A/C.
CNC Control in Electrically Noisy Environments
Sherlock Ohms 
8/14/2012  14 comments
For $30 and a little searching, one engineer saved his CNC mill from eBay.
Page 1/2  >  >>




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